The second of Georgia’s Junior Days is in the books.
For the second time this winter, the Bulldogs welcomed a host of top targets to campus for a Junior Day on February 1.
UGASports is gathering reactions from many of those prospects who were in Athens on Saturday. Those reactions can be seen in the thread below.
READ THE UGASPORTS RECRUIT REACTION THREAD HERE
A conversation with Justin Williams
Justin Williams was a wide-eyed rookie when he stepped on the practice field for the first time during Georgia’s preparation for the 2024 Orange Bowl against Florida State.
Eager to impress his new coaches, Williams took his position at inside linebacker and watched the play develop before freezing in his tracks.
“Kendall Milton was coming through the hole,” Williams smiled. “Yeah, I got run over. It was the first time for me ever getting run over – for real.”
Being asked to tackle a future NFL back was just one of the lessons the former five-star said he was asked to learn during his first season with the Bulldogs.
“It’s been good. It’s been a lot of hard work, just a lot of development, learning from the vets, and just learning from Coach (Glenn) Schumann and everything,” Williams said. “It was just learning the defense, and just learning from Coach (Kirby) Smart, and just becoming what I need to be.”
“Kendall Milton was coming through the hole. Yeah, I got ran over. It was the first time for me ever getting ran over – for real.”
It helped to have a lot of friends in the room.
From CJ Allen to Raylen Wilson, Jalon Walker to Smael Mondon, Williams had plenty of willing shoulders to lean on while he worked to fit in.
“Learning from the vets was huge. I learned the importance of watching film, doing everything right, being a leader on and off the field, doing the right things,” he said. “I just learned a lot from them, especially CJ.”
Even though Allen was still technically a freshman when Williams joined the team, he took the time to him the early ropes.
“When I first got here, me and CJ just sat in a room and just watched film of the Florida State, because that’s when I got here,” Williams said. “He just taught me so many things early on. And I really learned a lot from him.”
Mondon and Walker taught him other ways to improve his game.
“With Smael, it was just learning how to be communicative and sound off on the field, and stuff like that,” Williams said. “With Jalon, it was just how to play physical and how to run around the field, and everything like that.”
A year later, Williams feels more mentally mature than he was this time a season ago.
When your coaches are Schumann and Smart, you’d better be willing to expand your mind.
“Oh, it expands a lot,” Williams said. “Coach Schumann, he’s a defensive mind. His mind’s always going. So, I’m just learning everything every day.”
Williams isn’t kidding.
“Serious. I learn something new every day, I’m not going to lie,” he said. “Even when you think you know it, you still have to perfect it. I’ve learned so much from him.
With Walker and Mondon moving on, Williams will have plenty of opportunities for playing this fall.
However, he also knows there’s still a lot of work to do. A couple of areas stand out.
“I would say coverage and rushing the passer,” Williams said. “Those are the things I’m looking to get better at. That, and just learning how to learn the plays more.”
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